Say Goodbye When Stars Collide
by Miistical
Summary: "Not everything is what it seems." Captain Gilbert Beilschmidt should have learned his lesson the first time. After gaining all his wealth back from the betrayal of an old lover, the pirate rejoins his friends, Captain Francis Bonnefoy and Captain Antonio Fernández Carriedo, in the attack of rival Captain Arthur Kirkland's ship to save Francis' daughter. But is this all there is?


Honestly, at this point, Gilbert should have known better. His best friends completely agreed. After all the shit he went through, he deserved some well-earned pillaging. No way was he actually going to get that, so, for know, he spent his days drinking all the alcohol they had on board and tried to forget what it felt like to be in love. Ask anyone (besides Francis) and they'd say he was being melodramatic. Probably, he didn't particularly care at that moment.

Everything lead back to his ex-wife, Elizabeta. Even before becoming a pirate, before marrying her, he was never good enough. Well, he thought he was when she said yes, but that was just another ploy, another act that lead to his drinking. He was raised well, by a rich general, so of course Gilbert had money. Apparently that was the only thing Elizabeta liked in him, as one day she just upped and went off with Gilbert's childhood frienemy.

Never did he see Elizabeta or Roderich again, or the money she stole. Turns out that her betrayal was just what he needed, even if his consumption of beer said otherwise. Gilbert finally stopped being what his father wanted (the Prussian knew his father wanted his little brother Ludwig for the job anyway) and started making himself happy. So, he set off with two idiots on quite the adventure, efficiently making a name for themselves as the Bad Touch Trio. He was happy for quite a while... until now, that is.

Currently, Captain Gilbert Beilschmidt was aboard his pride and joy, a great ship called Teutonic Knight. Together with his long-time friends, Captain Francis Bonnefoy, a certainly perverted Frenchman that loved love, and Captain Antonio Fernández Carriedo, a really peppy Spaniard that cared way too much about his first-mate (a little Italian brat named Lovino), they were off to see the world. Well, not in the way he hoped.

Gilbert was the only one that pretty much cut ties with his old life; Francis and Antonio still had family back home. Antonio had left an adorable wife named Bella, much to the extreme irritation to her older and younger brothers. Not to mention his own brother, but Antonio's older brother was in Portugal anyway, so it didn't effect him much. However, Francis had a daughter back home. Not anymore though, as that was the sole reason Gilbert was drinking.

Francis' daughter, a young woman named Madeline, was kidnapped by a certain nasty Englishman that could keep one hell of a grudge.

It was known throughout the countryside of France that the Teutonic Knight made a stop every some-odd months. What they didn't know was that is was for a quick reunion between the Frenchman and his darling daughter. Gilbert saw her once, blonde like her dad, but eyes like her late mother. Francis never talked about it much, but Gilbert and Antonio both knew that Francis must have met a beautiful woman to have a child like that. (Well, Gilbert knew the last part, Antonio was always for his wife.)

It appeared that someone had found the reason for the ship's consistent stops. That someone came in the form of Francis' old first-mate, an Englishman by the name Arthur Kirkland. Why the man hated the three was a mystery, and none of them particularly cared; until now, that is. After the scheduled stop in France, Francis realizing his daughter's obviously abrupt departure, after finding the note left behind to taunt and mock him, and rushing back to sail for England; Gilbert could think of only one thing to do: Get drunk.

It wasn't working so well.

Gilbert knew, by stories Francis told fondly, that the young girl was sweet with a golden heart. As Gilbert stared into the empty bottle, all the tales he heard came rushing to the surface of his clouded mind; with them came memories of a baby Ludwig. Gilbert was drunk enough to compare the two and the white haired man had to force himself to stop thinking lest he start crying.

.

Weeks came and went as the Teutonic Knight sailed through the ports of the British Isles. The three were especially annoyed that no one would help them; the English didn't take well to the French or Spanish and Gilbert normally unnerved people with the coloring of his skin, eyes, and hair.

It was pure accident and luck, luck they will come to regret, on their part that they found Arthur's ship, let alone Francis' daughter.

The three had just docked to refill their dwindling food storage and had planned for nothing but get in, get out. All of that changed in a flash of purple and green. There, just a few yards away, stood the very man they wanted to see; the Englishman's arm wrapped around the waist of the girl they came to save. Francis could not stand back while his daughter was so close, and nothing would keep him from slaughtering the man who took her. Yet, strangely, it was an easy fight. There _was_ no fight.

When Francis charged at his old friend, Arthur and his men simply... ran. They ran and left Madeline there to be swept away by her father.

Maybe if it was another time, if Francis wasn't so relieved, if they weren't so tired, if Gilbert wasn't so taken aback, if Antonio wasn't feeling celebratory; maybe, and only maybe, they would had been suspicious. As it was, none of them _wanted_ to feel suspicious; they didn't want to feel paranoid or vengeful. So they let the image of the group of the most pig-headed men they knew fleeing sink into the corners of their mind.

That was their first mistake.

.

Francis, in the time searching for his daughter, and in the time she was on their ship, grew overly-protective of Madeline. He made her promise to stay on the ship, where he could keep an eye on her; so that she would never again have to experience being held captive again. The young Frenchwoman readily agreed, her voice quivering as she retold stories of Captain Kirkland's horrible treatment of her.

Gilbert and Antonio, not to mention practically the whole crew, held feelings for the pretty pirate's daughter.

The cooks and maids and navigator took to her like a duck to water; Madeline reminding them of this cousin or this aunt or their own baby sister. The first-mates instantly found a friend in the gentle girl, her soft voice a soothing sound that soothed their ache for home.

Antonio found her adorable and helped Francis in smothering and spoiling the girl in whatever they could: "Only the best for the most fair!" She'd always shy away at first and blush at the constant compliments she'd get, but Madeline would always give in to the two men; yet, her smile grew tighter and tighter over time.

But, out of everyone on board, it was Gilbert she spent the most time with. Not the cooks who prepared her with any food she wanted and served with laughter and stories, not the maids who giggled with her and shared tells of handsome men they've seen, not the navigator who let her up in the loft to feel the wind, not the first-mates that were her own age and could relate, not even her own father did she spent as much time with as she did Gilbert.

The Prussian never knew how to feel about that. Or Madeline herself.

The more time she spent on the ship, and therefore with Gilbert, the deeper and deeper Gilbert fell. Madeline wasn't anything like Elizabeta was; the blonde woman before him was gentle and never chastised him when he did something childish, she listened in rapture to his tales and laughed at his, he knew, bad jokes. Madeline was there for his company and nothing more; why befriend him for money when she had plenty?

But even Gilbert didn't see it: the restlessness, the forced smiles, the choked laughter, her invasive questions, her piercing gaze.

That was his second mistake.

.

'Third times the charm' has always been Madeline's favorite proverb. Gilbert didn't like it as it implied losing twice beforehand.

He never got why, when Madeline smiled at him, he got the feeling that what he was seeing was not what she was.

.

Everything was a blur, everyone a mix of colors that just seemed to melt into one.

How they managed to find Arthur the first time was incredible luck; the second time was so much more than a mere coincidence. Coincidences didn't exist in their world. That was something else Captain Beilschmidt should've remembered as well; there was no way this entire situation wasn't off.

Too late he only found out at his third mistake.

.

Gilbert was tied, just barely keeping his balance as he teetered back from the edge of the plank of wood; away from the edge that would lead him to his watery grave.

He looked back and yet still the sight before him sprang for great disbelief. Francis and Antonio were no where to be seen, but he feared for their safety. As for Madeline... his gaze never left her. Never left the pistol she held firmly, and he noted the way she was so calm; and how it was pointed straight at his heart. Kirkland had this stupid smug-ass grin on his face, but Gilbert had to agree that he deserved to be smug; his plan worked perfectly. Even though everything had been explained, Gilbert couldn't get his head around it.

.

Arthur and Francis were so close until one fateful day. Gilbert knew that. He never knew why. He never knew that is was his fault.

After everything was said and done, Gilbert remembered everything. He supposed that it was such a little thing to him that he never thought of how it would effect anyone else.

Arthur had a child as well, just like Francis; but Arthur had a boy, an excitable son named Alfred. Other the years, it seemed, as Arthur had told it, that they were just growing apart. Everything could have been mended, the Brit made sure to spit this in Gilbert's face, if only he hadn't intervened. Gilbert had encouraged the young boy to rebel and that led to the disappearance of Alfred F. Kirkland, a young man that most likely drowned at sea. Arthur blamed Gilbert everyday for it and eventually blamed Francis and Antonio and then everyone on that God forsaken ship.

Arthur left to gather his own crew and swore to kill the man that killed his son.

At that point in the story, Gilbert just stared at Madeline, wondering where in the hell she fit in. Arthur, smirking, gently caressed the girl's cheek, like Francis used to do just months before. It, the Prussian thanked to the heavens, a touch of a lover. It was one of a parent and child.

The Captain so very lovingly filled in the confused man, holding the woman of Gilbert's dreams close.

Once Arthur knew of Francis' daughter, whom was left home alone so often and for such long periods of time, the Englishman decided to visit her. Bringing with him gifts and tales, Arthur visited her (Madeline made sure to hiss, "Like a real father would.") much more frequently than Francis' ever did. In only 3 months time did Arthur take Francis' place as Madeline's father-figure.

And had gained her trust inexplicably.

Arthur then told Madeline his story, how sad he was and how evil the man that now stood before them was, gaining even more of her love and sympathy. Madeline left her house ("It never felt like a home until Arthur showed up.") and went willingly with Arthur and together they made the plan to avenge the death of Arthur's late son.

Gilbert could clearly remember the very first time he messed up; but he still didn't understand why, why Madeline would try and get so close to him.

.

Gilbert finally understood, he _finally got it_, when he heard the sweet words whisper from her lovely mouth, "Just know that I always did love the way you said goodbye; only did you say it when the stars collided."

And then the gun went off.


End file.
